Manor Farm Shop in Leasingham introduced the Char Coal Cheese

Apr 23, 2014 12:56 GMT  ·  By
This variety of mature cheddar is completely black because it is made with real charcoal
   This variety of mature cheddar is completely black because it is made with real charcoal

Weird food combinations seem to be getting very popular these days. After the vegetable-flavored ice cream, we now learn about a black assortment of cheese called Char Coal Cheese that is made with actual charcoal.

The bizarre delicacy has been introduced by a farm shop in Leasingham, England, and could be considered one of the weirdest cheeses in the world. As its name implies, the cheese is completely black, and although it may not seem very appetizing, customers who tried the new product appeared to be pleasantly surprised by its taste.

Staff at Manor Farm Shop say that cheese lovers have been coming back for more since they introduced the Char Coal variety. Moreover, everyone who has tried it has bought a whole block.

“It’s a mature cheddar but it’s completely black inside where it’s mixed with the charcoal but it tastes really creamy,” said Dan Mansfield, assistant manager at Manor Farm, as reported by Oddity Central.

“The company we get some of our cheese supplies from said they had got this new cheese in stock and it was made from charcoal so we thought we’d give it a try. I’d never heard of it before and it doesn’t look very appetizing, but it is very nice,” Mansfield added.

According to the same source, the cheese comes from the Michael Lee Fine Cheeses Company, which is based in West Yorkshire, UK. The company was the winner of the Best New Idea award at the Farm Shop and Deli Show in 2014 and claims that their unusual product is actually the first and only all-black cheddar cheese made with real charcoal.

Amy Birkin, from Michael Lee Fine Cheeses, explains that the Char Coal Cheese was obtained after mixing mature cheddar with activated charcoal. She says they explored the idea for a while, and when they found the magical black ingredient, they were able to transform it into reality.

“We toyed with the idea of making a black cheese and how we could make this look appealing. It is 30 years this year since the mining strike and there's various mining communities around us which we were happy to support,” she said.

Apparently, various retailer, wholesalers, marketers, delis and restaurants are regular customers who use the diary product on a variety of recipes, cheeseboards, deli fridges and canapés. Cheddar is the most popular cheese in the UK representing 51% of all sales.